Guardian
by XanthippeAlexithymia
Summary: It began as an outlet for the brotherly protection he'd had for Sasuke, but would end under completely different circumstances. ItaSaku. Please read and review! First Fanfic.
1. Prologue

Prologue

In the future I would account my actions to be a result of the brotherly protection I had gained for my younger brother. I was a killer, there was no denying, but when I saw any child around his height and age they immediately became him. Upon closer inspection, oh rather a quick glance, it was obvious they were not Sasuke in any means, their gender wasn't even the same, let alone hair and eyes. The age was the same, however, and they were almost the same height. When the childish scream pierced the air I immediately turned my sharingan in its direction, searching for its owner. That scream was one of innocence about to be robbed, something I'd been unable to protect Sasuke against. Once I saw her I recognized her, it was difficult not too with her pink hair and jade eyes. Sasuke and I use to pass a park on our way home from the academy and the bright haired girl often played there along with her pale blonde friend. Even now as I looked at her I noticed her usual red ribbon was missing and now her pastel locks flew in the wind as her short legs struggled to carry her over the uneven ground. Tears stained her cheek, much like my younger brother's face on that October night only a few weeks ago.

A loud, deep laughter brought my attention to the men chasing the young girl. They were Konoha shinobi, which was logical seeing as I had snuck into Konoha to check up on Sasuke, but they were scum none the less. Three chased after her, barely even jogging, as they bantered back and forth about what fun this was, as would the following events be. Easily jumping through the trees, I masked my chakra so they wouldn't sense me and focused my Mangekyo on them. Only rotten men would violate a woman, let alone a girl of only five or six.

"I call her first!" shouted the first, only a chuunin.

"If you can catch her!"

"I'm oldest, she's mine!" declared the last, a jounin. Up ahead the girl tripped, a quiet cry escaping from her small form as she fell, ragged gasps quickly following as she failed to return to her feet.

"Gotcha!" the first shinobi called out, grabbing onto her forearms and pulling her roughly up. "Ready to be our tramp?"

"Please, sir-," she begged as he started tugging at her pants. A flick of my wrist and a kunai sunk deep into his neck, causing the man to fall over dead beside the frightened girl.

"What the-look to the trees!" the jounin called out but I had already sent a blade soaring towards his heart, hitting home. I jumped down, landing silently near the girl as the last man stared at me in shock, quivering in the moonlight.

"Please, don't kill me," he whispered.

"Would you have displayed mercy on this child?" I asked.

"Yes, of course!" he cried out.

"You are lying," I told him, a kunai sinking into his skin before he could mutter another word. Turning to the small girl I expected to find her sobbing, staring at me in horror much like Sasuke. While she was staring at me, however, she appeared to be more stunned than terrified. "Are you alright?" She took a long sniffle, wiping her nose with her long sleeve and gave a small nod. "Are you sure?" I asked, eyeing her scraped leg.

"I-I think. You saved me," she said, her high voice surprisingly soft and filled with awe.

"I did," I told her, eying her tiny form. "Do you know where you are?"

"No," she answered, "I got lost when they started chasing me." Kneeling down, I gently picked up her small leg, examining it. It wasn't even cut badly but chakra tingled in my hand and over her shin, healing the rough skin. The child giggled, her once bloodshot eyes twinkling with her cheerful laughter, as if three dead men did not surround her, one right beside her. "That tickles."

"It's chakra," I told her. She smiled at me, her jade orbs looking at me in a way that could only be explained as her saying 'I know, silly.'

"It feels nice," she said. I pressed my lips together, eyeing the odd girl before me. Never before had someone explained my chakra feeling…pleasant. "Your eyes are pretty. They're red." This statement made my dark brows furrow over my 'pretty' eyes. My eyes were the eyes of a murderer. This girl should be more afraid of me, not smiling and complementing me.

"Yes, they are. It is a family trait," I said, pulling my hand away once I was sure her leg was fully healed, having paused a moment or two to insure there would be no scars. "Where do you live?"

"In Konoha," she answered swiftly, her obvious reply making me sigh. "Where in Konoha?"

"Two blocks from the park with that big pond and three away from Yamanaka Flower Shop. Ino lives there, she's my best friend," the girl said brightly, easily rattling off the location of her house. Pink brows knitted together as she leaned in closer to me, eyes curious. "Why does your cloak have red clouds on it? Clouds are white, or grey I guess. My daddy told me sometimes they're purple and green when it storms too, but never red."

"Red clouds are part of what signifies me as part of the organization I'm with," I told her honestly, unsure of why I was telling a young child this.

"Are they part of Konoha?" I shook my head, helping the girl stand up. "Then why do you have a Konoha headband?"

"I use to be part of Konoha but I left," I told her.

"Oh, ok," she said, easily accepting the answer. "It looks warm."

"It is," I assured her. Scanning her body again I noted that she was shivering. The night air was slightly chilled this evening and obviously the child had nothing warm to wear. "Would you like to be in it while I take you home?" The girl's head bobbed up and down enthusiastically and I opened the cloak to let her step in closer, her small hands gripping onto my pant leg as I let the thick fabric fall back and hide her completely. She only came to about my hip, her cheek pressing against my thigh. I put a hand on her back, making sure she was steady as I performed a transportation jutsu, bringing us to the place she had described. "Which house is yours?"

"The blue one," her muffled voice said from under my cloak. "My room is has a tree right outside the window." Spotting the tree and transported us into her bedroom, pulling away the cloak to let her out. "Home already?"

"Yes. It was not safe for you outside in the dark," I told her as she stepped away.

"Thank you for bringing me home," she said, smiling softly back up at me. "And for saving me."

"…You are welcome," I said after a moment of hesitation. "What is your name, child?" Her green eyes beamed up at me after I'd asked.

"Haruno Sakura," she said proudly.

"Sakura," I breathed, reaching out to hold a few strands of her pale hair. "Rather fitting."

"Thanks. What's your name?" she asked.

"It does not matter," I told her. Her face scrunched up and her small mouth formed a pout.

"If I don't know your name how will I be sure you're you when we meet later?" she asked. I raised a brow at her.

"When we meet later?" She gave jerky nods. "What makes you so sure?"

"Well…I don't know…but we will," she said. Studying her carefully I made yet another unwise decision for the evening.

"Ichirou," I told her finally.

"I-chi-rou," she said slowly and punctuated, concentrating intensely before smiling brightly up at me. "Promise we'll see each other later, Chi-kun?" Looking at her jade eyes I made my last questionable choice of the night.

"I promise, Sakura." As she crawled into bed and pulled the covers around her, just like I would if she were Sasuke, and as she looked up at me one more time I let my Mangekyo swirl, not erasing but blurring her memory of this night and easing her to sleep. I remained by her side for a few moments longer, just watching the girl. It was then I decided I would protect her the way I hadn't been able to protect Sasuke. She would be safe for as long as I lived, I would be sure of it. Before leaving I picked up a red ribbon from her toy vanity, pocketing it. Later on I may need to track her and that would be useful in doing so.

As I left I told myself I was doing this because of Sasuke. I told myself that every year I watched her grow, even when she was assigned a team with Sasuke, even when Sasuke was bit by Orochimaru and she wasn't, even when Sasuke left her on a bench, even when she was held back from following Sasuke, even when she encountered Sasuke with her new team, and even when I fought her myself. I was doing this because of Sasuke, nothing else. Not because of her pink hair, jade eyes, bright smile, or soft voice. That lie only lasted so long, however, until I accepted the true reason.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

"Chi-kun!" an achingly familiar voice called out in the air, pulling me out of my meditative state. Slowly, I opened my eyes, my sharingan swirling as it focused on the tiny form running towards me. Her smile was possibly even brighter in day light, her hair pinker, and eyes greener. Now her steps were more sure as she ran, her small body jumping over a fallen tree as she approached. Five months had passed since the first time we had met and I had visited her three times, each at night. This was the first time I saw her in the light and it only made her childlike features more prominent. Her hair had grown out slightly but was still tied back with a ribbon, her navy shirt and crème pants rippling as she ran. "You're here!"

"Yes, Sakura, as I said I would," I said from where I sat on a stump, legs crossed and hands forming the most common hand sign. "Are you ready to practice your hand signs?" She nodded quickly, coming to a stop in front of me and plopping down on her small rump, her heavy breath and red cheeks showing her recent physical activity.

"I've been doing boar, horse, and ox all on my own at home," she told me eagerly, quickly showing me each one. I nodded in approval, correcting her fingers for ox before moving on to teach her rooster. Ever since my second visit she had insisted that help her with her lessons at the Academy. After much begging and pleading on her part I agreed, deciding she was intelligent enough to one day be a talented konouchi and worth the extra time. As of yet we had focused on hand signs but I had also given her a wooden kunai and shuriken to practice holding and such. She'd yet to be fully comfortable with the toy weapons but I had told her that until they felt like an extension of her body I would not teach her anything else so we were waiting for that to happen.

Despite Sakura's age she was incredibly intuitive and determined. Each time I spoke she listened attentively, thin, pink brows furrowed in concentration as she would nod at my words. She never needed to be told anything twice, only given tips and extra bits and instruction. Already I could tell she would be good at genjutsu with her attention to detail and creative mind. When she reached a hand sign that troubled her she would huff and try again and again until she succeeded.

The more time I spent with Sakura the more I came to realize she was nothing like Sasuke. He became easily agitated when he couldn't learn something and would pout. Our father had never seen his potential, though, always trying to compare him to me. It was one of the factors that convinced me I had to protect him. Now, however, I couldn't, so I would do everything I could to protect Sakura while also infiltrating Akatsuki's ranks.

"Good, now practice doing sets of three in rapid succession, it will help you perform jutsus quickly," I told her.

"Chi-kun…" she murmured as she slowly started moving her hands through the signs, "Do you miss Konoha?" My red eyes watched Sakura as she studied her hands, hesitating every once in a while to adjust her fingers properly. I took a moment to think, allowing my sharingan to fade away.

"At times, yes, but it is best for me to be away from there," I told her. Sakura's hands dropped to her lap and she turned her bright eyes up towards me.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because…I did something bad," I said, unable to expose her innocence to the corruptness that I held within myself.

"Bad? Like when you steal something?" she asked.

"No, much worse," I told her.

"What did you do?"

"One day, Sakura, I will tell you. Until then, keep practicing. It is time for you to return. I am not sure the next time I will be able to visit," I said, standing and holding out a hand to help her to her feet. In my own, her slim fingers and palm were small and delicate like nothing I'd ever known.

"Okay," she said quietly, bowing her head down and not looking at me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing," she mumbled, fisting her hands before throwing herself forward, wrapping her thin arms around my leg. "I'll miss you, Chi-kun," her muffled voice said. Looking down at her, I paused before going to put my hand on her head. Abruptly, Sakura pulled away and began running back to Konoha, her pink hair trailing after her. I watched as she faded, activating my sharingan so I could ensure her safety for longer than my normal vision would allow.

"I will miss you too, Sakura," I said quietly as I faded away into crows, their caws echoing in the air.

It would be another half a year before I saw her. She was ecstatic and ran at me, screaming my name and hugging my hips tightly. Sakura had hit a growth spurt since I'd seen her last, her head now coming to my pelvis. We sat for hours near each other, the young, excited girl chatting endlessly about what had happened since my last visit. Her birthday had been back in March and now she was nine, much to my surprise, and in love with my brother. This actually relieved me, to know that someone as kind as Sakura supported my brother even if, by the way she told things, he was isolating himself. Her friend Ino and herself had fought over him and were no longer talking but even with the shocking anger I saw in her eyes I knew there was also sorrow for losing her closest companion. The pink locks of her hair now reached just below her shoulders and she eagerly told me she was growing it out because Sasuke like girls with long hair. On and on she went talking, but I found I didn't mind, especially when she spoke of my brother. He was the best in class, but she was the smartest. A moment was spared of her chatter when she demonstrated how comfortable she was with the kunai and shuriken I had given her as well as how fluent she was with hand signs. After giving her a real kunai and shuriken and spoke with her quietly about how the weights were different and the best ways to account for this. Her first attempt at throwing a kunai was pitiful in the least but each one after improved vastly for a child's first time holding a weapon.

The next time we met, days before her tenth birthday, I began teaching her about genjutsu, even putting her under a few easy illusions for her to practice breaking out of. While I waited for her to return to the real world each time I took notice of her changing clothes. She had started wearing leggings with a red tunic displaying her clan's symbol, a simple circle, on the back. Sakura was beginning to look more like a ninja and choose clothing that suited or would be profession. I could tell now that her tunic would eventually have to shorten as to not slow her down but that would not have to happen for years.

When Sakura graduated the Academy she was placed on a team with Sasuke as well as the Kyuubi container. This proved very beneficial, giving me both access to my brother and a tailed demon. When their first escort mission as a team arrived I wasn't worried, sure that Sakura would prove to be as useful as I knew she was and that she would be well protected by her team. It wasn't until I found her weeks after, sobbing into her knees, that I found reason to be concerned.

"Sakura, what is wrong?" I asked, kneeling down beside her.

"I-I-I'm use…less, Chi-k-k-kun," she cried, short, raspy breaths interrupting her words.

"Sakura, you are going to have to explain this to me. What happened?" I asked.

"Th-the mission…" she murmured, shivers running through her. Sitting beside her I unclasped my cloak to wrap around her.

"The escort mission?" Her jerky nods were the only answer. "What happened on it?"

"W-we were attacked m-multiple t-t-times. Each t-time I was useless," she sobbed. "I c-c-couldn't d-do anything."

"You weren't prepared, that's all," I assured her, furrowing my brows at her words. Attacked? On a genin escort mission? That was far from normal.

"But I should have been!" Sakura shouted, raising her head to show me her red eyes and tear stained cheeks. "All that time spent training with you was wasted, Chi-kun! I was helpless, dead weight, _annoying_," she spat.

"Annoying?" Sakura bowed her head back down, looking away from me. "Sakura, who calls you annoying?" She mumbled something I couldn't hear. "Who?" I urged.

"Sasuke-kun," she murmured. "It's all he ever calls me." The overwhelming anger I felt at her words was unexpected and surprised me. I don't know exactly what had aroused it, the fact that my younger brother was the cause of Sakura's tears or that he would behave in such a way. Sasuke was no doubt harsh because of his past but to treat someone as kind and innocent as Sakura like that was uncalled for and not at all like their mother had raised them. She would be incredibly disappointed if she knew her youngest son treated women with anything but courtesy and respect. "Chi-kun, do you think I'm annoying?"

"Why would you ask me such a thing?" I asked, careful not to show how shocked and appalled I was by her question.

"W-well, besides Sasuke, Ino doesn't like me and other than Naruto no one tends to like me so something must be wrong. Maybe it's my hair," she mumbled to herself, carefully pulling a long strand up to her face for inspection.

"Sakura, you are not annoying and your hair is fine," I assured her, keeping it to myself that I thought it was getting a little long. The greater the length the younger she looked, I decided, but how she wore her hair was up to her. "Sasuke doesn't know what he is saying and as for Ino, she is simply jealous you are on his team and she is not. Now, as for the mission, hesitating your first time is normal. You were unprepared but next time you will not. Let's practice your taijutsu." Sakura nodded, sniffing one last time and wiping her nose before standing.

The rest of the day I distracted Sakura from her despair by helping improve not only her taijutsu technique but also her genjutsu. I was aware that the Chuunin exams were fast approaching and wanted her as ready as possible if Hatake entered her team. There were well kept rumors of a plot against Konoha that would happen during the exams and I intended to spend my time until then finding out as much as I possibly could while keeping up my cover as a loyal Akatsuki member. When Sakura left she gave me her usual hug before running off. As I watched her disembark this time, however, I couldn't help a small frown from forming on my lips. Something was going to happen, I could only hope that I would be able to protect her.

* * *

Author's Note

So, this was meant to be longer, but I really wanted to get the chapter out and I'll be really busy later on. In case you can't tell, I'm rushing through Sakura's early years but still trying to give Itachi a part. Let's face it, Sakura is pathetic early on so Itachi can't be teaching her anything awesome or it throws off her whole canon character which I'm trying to keep. Besides, I really what hot Itachi and Sakura at an age where she can somewhat legally appreciate it. I'll try to get the next update out as soon as possible! Thanks for reading!


	3. Author's Note: Rewritten

Hi!

I am a horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE person and no amount of apologizing can atone for the neglect I have given this fanfic.

I am still sincerely sorry.

GREAT NEWS, however. I will be starting again, completely. The story is the same, nothing really changes, except I will be rewriting the first two chapters. They just don't sit well with me and some of the details will make development difficult in the future.

Why bother reading after I failed to update frequently?

Great question.

I have a beta! With the help of cocoablossom I will keep on track and keep posting.

No amount of thanking you will ever be enough but thank you for paying this story any attention at all and I hope you continue on to the beta, regularly updated version that will soon make an appearance, unlike the last time I promised there would be a new chapter.

Next week I have a plethora of essays due and college is always first but once they are done I will resume work on Guardian, starting with redoing the first two chapters.

I hope those of you who have followed, favorited, and reviewed will find a new born enjoyment in the rewritten chapters and stick around for the rest of the story that will be sure to follow.

Sorry again and I hope you are having a fantastic day!

Sincerely and Thankfully,

XanthippeAlexithymia


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